AI Press Release: Get Media Coverage in 45 Min
A single piece of media coverage can bring more qualified leads than a month of paid ads — and with AI, you can write a press release worth pitching in under 45 minutes, no PR agency required.
Why Most Small Business Press Releases Fail
Journalists delete dozens of press releases every day. The ones that survive share three traits: a tight news hook, a quote that sounds human, and a clear 'so what' for the reader. Most small business owners miss all three because they write about themselves instead of the story. AI fixes this by forcing you to answer the reader's question first.
What Counts as News (More Than You Think)
- Launching a new product, service, or pricing tier
- Hitting a milestone — clients served, revenue, years in business
- Winning an award or industry recognition
- Partnering with a known local brand or charity
- Releasing original data or a short survey result
- Opening a new location or going fully remote
If you're unsure whether your story is newsworthy, paste a one-sentence summary into ChatGPT and ask: 'Is this a story a local business journalist would cover, and why?' The answer will tell you whether to push forward or reframe.
The 45-Minute AI Press Release Workflow
- Minutes 0–5: Gather your facts — date, who, what, where, why it matters, one stat if you have it
- Minutes 5–15: Use the prompt below to generate a first draft
- Minutes 15–25: Edit the headline and lead paragraph — these are the only lines most editors read
- Minutes 25–35: Add or refine your quote so it sounds like a real person, not a robot
- Minutes 35–45: Write a two-sentence boilerplate about your business and add contact details
The Core AI Prompt for Press Release Writing
Write a 400-word press release for a small business. News: [your news in one sentence]. Audience: [target reader]. Include: a headline under 10 words, a dateline, a strong lead paragraph answering who/what/when/where/why, one quote from the owner named [name], three supporting details, a boilerplate placeholder, and contact info placeholder. Tone: factual, confident, no jargon.
Paste your facts into the bracketed fields and run it. You'll get a clean structure in seconds. The headline ChatGPT suggests is often serviceable but bland — rewrite it yourself using a number, a verb, or a local angle to make it pop.
Fixing the Quote — the Part AI Gets Wrong
AI-generated quotes tend to say things like 'We are thrilled to announce this exciting milestone.' No journalist will use that. Ask the model to rewrite the quote in a more direct, opinionated voice: 'Rewrite this quote as if the founder is speaking candidly to a friend, not a press conference.' Then read it aloud. If it sounds like something you'd actually say, keep it. If not, edit it by hand — this takes two minutes and makes a big difference.
Where to Send Your AI-Written Press Release
- Local newspaper or city business journal — find the reporter who covers your sector
- Industry newsletters and trade publications in your niche
- Free wire services like PR Log or OpenPR for baseline SEO coverage
- Your own email list and LinkedIn — owned channels convert better than most earned media
- Local radio stations and podcasts that cover business news
Personalise the pitch email to each journalist with one sentence showing you've read their recent work. Use AI to draft that sentence too: 'Write a two-sentence personalised opener for a pitch email to a journalist who recently wrote about [topic], referencing why my story is relevant to their audience.' This small step doubles your open rate.
Repurpose the Press Release Across Your Marketing
Once the release is written, ask AI to spin it into a LinkedIn post, a short email announcement, and a 60-second script for a video or reel. You've already done the hard thinking — the facts, the angle, the quote. Repurposing takes another 15 minutes and multiplies the reach of the same story. For more ways to stretch a single piece of content, check out how solopreneurs turn one post into a week of content.
Start Your First AI Press Release Today
Pick one piece of news from your business — however small it feels — and run the prompt above. A well-structured 400-word release sent to five targeted journalists beats a generic blast to 500 contacts every time. If you want to build out the full tool stack that makes this and every other content task faster, grab the free Top 10 AI Tools guide — it covers exactly what to use and when.